Letters

I truly enjoyed reading the article “Altitude and Airspeed are Our Friends” in the June issue of Flight Training. The energy footprint diagram on pages 34 and 35 is invaluable. As a CFI it is critical to always imagine the footprint and how it changes depending on your airspeed, altitude, and winds. On January 2, 2006, the footprint wasn’t very big at only 900 feet msl. Immediately recognizing the small footprint allowed me to make quick decisions, announce the Mayday calls, and gently ditch N2759M in the Hudson, a few miles north of where “Sully” put down Flight 1549 three years later. Thank you, Budd Davisson for an excellent article. Let’s hope that more

pilots think of the energy footprint and how it changes upon takeoff, during climb, and while in cruise flight.

John Eberle
Palatine, Illinois

Flight tracking

Since reading “Track Your Flight” (see “Technique” June Flight Training), I bought a Wintec WTB-201 that can connect with a laptop through either Bluetooth or a USB cable. Google Earth accepts this as one of three GPS units listed under TOOLS/GPS. The Wintec WTB-201 is really small and has only two buttons and three LEDs. It is WAAS enabled and very sensitive.

When first turned on, it downloaded the almanacs from the appropriate satellites and obtained a fix through the roof and ceiling in about one or two minutes. Wintec also has data manipulation software, TimeMachineX, that may be downloaded from their website at no cost. This software allows you to change the parameters in the WBT-201, see the appropriate satellites and their signal strength, convert logger files to many formats, and more.

I am planning to use this system on our forthcoming “Maritime Memories” cruise around the United Kingdom. For practice, I carried the WBT-201 on a 15-mile round trip to a local mall. The track followed the roads on Google Earth precisely.

Harold S. Reemsnyder
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Worth waiting for

On my fortieth birthday my wife talked to me via videotape. She said, “Happy birthday. Your goal is to find me but there are a few rules. First, don’t get cranky. Second, Corey [our son] will drive. Third, you will have to figure out where I am by clues; Corey will give you the first one and when you get there you will get the next one and so on. Have fun and I will see you later.”

I began a trip all over Athens, Georgia, to places that had something to do with our lives together and my last clue read, “It is time for you to come in for a landing, I’m across the street, just follow the green signs.” She was at the airport (AHN) sitting in the grass next to the parking lot with the rest of our kids. “Sit down and open your gift," she said. Inside was a certificate for flight lessons. She said, “I’ve heard all about men having midlife issues, this will keep you busy. I know you’ve always wanted to fly and I notice your head in the sky when an airplane flies over. So happy birthday.” I got my private on February 14 this year. My head is still in the sky when I can’t be. Dreams do come true.

Wes Bond
Athens, Georgia

Errata

The atmospheric pressure table featured in “The Weather Aloft” in the June issue is incorrect. The standard rate of atmospheric pressure decrease is approximately 1 inch of mercury per 1,000 feet of altitude increase.